Preview - Energy In Chemical Reactions

Modeling the Reaction With Paper Cutouts

  • Get a large whiteboard and whiteboard markers for your table group.
  • Create the starting molecules with the paper elements given. You should use all the paper materials you have (no elements should be left over). Draw bonds between atoms on the whiteboard.
  • Now, rearrange the molecules you have in order to create the products by breaking as few bonds as possible. Again, draw bonds between atoms on the whiteboard
  • Once you have a solid grasp on which bonds are not broken during the process, you can tape the atoms that stay bonded throughout the reaction together.

Referenced Questions

These questions were answered in the previous steps. They are provided here for your reference.

Is this an endothermic or an exothermic reaction? How do you know?

Questions

Please answer the questions below.

Once you determine which bonds remain throughout the entire equation and which do not, count the total number of bonds that break and record that below.

Now determine the number of new bonds that are formed and record that number below.

Compare the total number of bonds broken versus the total number of bonds formed. Discuss this with your table group and the class to determine how this connects to your answer for question 1.2

Notes

These notes will appear on every page in this lesson so feel free to put anything here you'd like to keep track of.